Politics latest: Chris Whitty joins government meeting on mpox - as PM suffers post-election poll slump (2024)

We're bringing the Politics Hub to a close for the evening.

It's been a day dominated by the government's response to the crisis in Britain's prisons, as so-called Operation Early Dawn was activated to allow defendants to be held in police cells until jail beds are available.

The PM has admitted it's not an ideal situation, but blamed it on the "terrible inheritance" from the previous government.

Elsewhere, we had a bit of a blast from the not so recent past, as one Professor Chris Whitty returned to the headlines by joining ministers to discuss the possible threat posed by mpox.

It comes after the World Health Organization declared the disease a "global health emergency" amid rapid spread in parts of Africa - and a first case reported in Europe last week.

For more, hit up the key points above or scroll back through the posts from today - the 5pm bulletin might be a good place to start.

We'll be back tomorrow morning.

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

Thousands of prisoners languishing in prison indefinitely deserve "justice" and should be resentenced as a priority, the UN's leading torture expert has said.

Speaking to Sky News, Alice Jill Edwards described sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) as a "horrific indictment of the British justice system".

IPP was introduced by Labour in 2005, allowing courts to impose prison sentences with no release date.

They were abolished by the coalition government in 2012, but the change was not applied retrospectively, meaning approximately 2,852 prisoners remain behind bars - including 1,227 who have never been released.

Ms Edwards, the UN's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, called upon the new government to commit to a full or partial resentencing exercise for those still in jail.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer's administration grapples with an overcrowding crisis, forcing the activation of anemergency measure allowing defendants to be held in police cells for longer.

Ms Edwards said it was "unfortunate" recent measures taken -including letting prisoners out early- did not include those serving an IPP, which she haspreviously described as a form of "psychological torture".

The Politics Hub is running a little slower than usual at the moment.

The House of Commons has been on its summer recess since 30 July, and won't return until 2 September.

That means no PMQs, ministerial statements, or other usual business.

And there's nothing going in on the House of Lords, either.

It's a period when MPs may try to get away on holiday, although they are still expected to deal with constituency issues.

Of course, this year's summer recess has proved busy for the prime minister and his top team because of the riots - although parliament wasn't recalled early as a result.

Once parliament returns on 2 September, the next recess period will arrive just 10 days later.

That's for party conference season, when MPs will be spread across the country for some of the biggest events in the political calendar.

An emergency plan to try to ease prison overcrowding has been started by the government – as courts continue to hear cases involving those accused of rioting earlier in the month.

Across northern England and parts of the Midlands, those waiting for a court appearance will now be held in police cells until there’s a prison place for them.

Operation Early Dawn was started on Monday morning.

On this episode, Niall Paterson assess the potential impact on courts and the police. He speaks to Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers' Association, Philip Jones, custody lead at the National Police Federation, and Sky communities correspondent Becky Johnson.

Becky also explains the context and longer-term plan for the prison system.

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The Foreign Office has said it is supporting "a number of British nationals and their families" after a luxury yacht sunk off Sicily.

The British-flagged vessel went under after a tornado, and at least one person has died.

UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among those missing, while his wife has been rescued.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said as well as providing support, they were also in contact with local authorities.

You can follow live updates in our dedicated blog:

The working day is likely almost over for many of you, so here's a quick rundown on the day's political news for your journey home:

• Sir Keir Starmer has blamed a "terrible inheritance" left by the Tories for the government's decision to activate an emergency prisons plan;
• Operation Early Dawn - that's the name of the contingency measure that will see prisoners held in police cells for longer due to a shortage of jail space;
• It was activated this morning as the justice system continues to move fast to prosecute rioters, with many having been jailed, but the prime minister admitted the "difficult decision" was one he'd have preferred not to make.

• Professor Chris Whitty has joined ministers today for a meeting about the UK's preparedness for mpox;
• It comes after an outbreak in Africa, which also reached Europe last week, was named a "global health emergency" by the World Health Organization;
• Today's meeting was to "ensure sufficient plans are in place to deal with any potential cases" in Britain.

• In Northern Ireland, Ulster Unionists leader Doug Beattie has stood down over "irreconcilable differences" with party officers;
• It comes less than two months after the party returned its first MP to Westminster for seven years;
  
• And in the Tory party leadership contest, deputy chair Matthew Vickers has quit his post in order to back Robert Jenrick for the top job.

That's all from your evening bulletin.

After a morning in Northern Ireland, Sir Keir Starmer has gone to Wales for his first in-person meeting with the new first minister.

Eluned Morgan took up the role earlier this month.

They will discuss the importance of a strong relationship between the Welsh government and the one at Westminster.

The two leaders are in Cardiff this afternoon, and tomorrow will visit a renewable energy site to see how Welsh companies are investing in clean power and helping the transition to net zero.

It also comes after the UK government announced funding for any business impacted by job losses at Port Talbot's Tata Steel, the country's biggest steelworks.

The transport secretary has been left rather embarrassed by the latest strikes threat by Britain's railway unions, says our chief political correspondent Jon Craig.

Last week she proudly announced an end to a pay dispute between the government and the Aslef union, which represents train drivers.

After several years of strikes, Ms Haigh agreed to a "hefty pay rise" of 5% backdated to 2022/23, 4.75% for the following year, and 4.5% for the coming financial year.

She suggested it had finally brought strikes to an end.

"Embarrassingly for her," says Jon, "almost immediately afterwards we've got Aslef threatening strikes over a separate dispute."

"This is not over pay," Jon notes, but working conditions.

It would see Aslef's members employed by LNER strike every weekend from the end of August to mid-September.

Ms Haigh has "made her frustrations clear", says Jon, calling on union leaders and LNER to "get round the table" before the strikes begin.

LNER has said it's focused on "minimising disruption" during the forthcoming strikes - but there's no sign yet of them being averted.

An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails has been triggered amid the sentencing of hundreds of rioters.

Here's what you need to know.

What is this emergency plan?

Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing idea that means defendants waiting for a court appearance could be held in police cells for longer until prison space is available.

But it could mean court dates are delayed at short notice, with both the prison estate and justice system under pressure.

Courts have been moving quickly to hear sentence those involved in the riots and many have been given jail sentences.

How will it work in practice?

Defendants being held in custody are only summoned before magistrates when extra prison capacity is confirmed.

The process helps to minimise disruption to bail hearings and is seen as a short-term measure to manage capacity pressure in a number of regions.

The operation involves assessments being carried out every morning and throughout the day.

This looks at which defendants can appear in court and the prison locations available should they be remanded in custody.

Will it mean fewer arrests?

Operation Early Dawn will not have any impact on police arresting criminals – and anyone who poses a risk will still not be bailed.

The measure will also not impact ongoing crown court trials, with prisoners appearing at hearings and then returning to jail as normal.

How did we reach this point?

Our political correspondent Mhari Aurorasays when Labour came to power back in July, the prison estate was already "massively overcrowded" and many jails deemed "not fit for purpose".

The state of prisons was one of the main criticisms the PM had for the previous Tory government when he entered office, and today he's said Rishi Sunak left him with a "terrible inheritance".

Mhari notes the courts system was also "massively clogged up".

Add in the influx of rioters being sentenced, and you have a "perfect storm" requiring the activation of Operation Early Dawn.

Our main story today is the government triggering an emergency measure allowing for prisoners to be held in police cells due to high demand for jail places.

Operation Early Dawn has been activated amid a flurry of court cases involving people involved in the recent riots, many of whom have been handed prison sentences.

Speaking in Belfast, which was among the cities and towns impacted by unrest this month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted it was a decision "nobody wants to take".

He blamed it on the "terrible inheritance on prisons" from Rishi Sunak's Conservative government.

"There was a basic failure, which is a failure to have enough prison places for the number of prisoners that were being sentenced," he said.

"We've had to deal with that with the additional strain of the disorder of recent weeks."

'Speedy justice' helping to deter violence

Sir Keir paid tribute to the speed at which the justice system was dealing with rioters, saying it had helped deter further unrest.

Speaking alongside the PM, the chief constable of Northern Ireland's police service said he hoped the "speedy justice" seen in England could be replicated.

Jon Boutcher said the justice system had moved "much slower" in Northern Ireland and had spoken with Sir Keir about resources.